Interesting Territorial Army (T.A.) medal group – Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 and Efficiency Medal (Territorial) awarded to Gunner RICHARD MUNDAY of the Royal Artillery – with interesting document relating to recipients medal entitlement

Stock Reference – MM-MED-0035

Interesting Territorial Army (T.A.) medal group – Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 and Efficiency Medal (Territorial) awarded to Gunner RICHARD MUNDAY of the Royal Artillery – with interesting document relating to recipients medal entitlement 

You are looking at a Territorial Army medal group consisting of the WW2 Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45, and the Efficiency Medal (Territorial), all awarded to Gunner RICHARD MUNDAY of the Royal Artillery, along with an interesting ‘memorandum’ relating to his Efficiency Medal entitlement, all contained within a leather wallet.

The two WW2 medals are unnamed, with the Efficiency Medal (Territorial) inscribed ‘1663198 GNR. R.MUNDAY. R.A.’.

RICHARD MUNDAY served for around 25 years, and his WW2 service, established from his ‘tracer card’, shows him having been attached to numerous Royal Artillery anti-aircraft units responsible for protecting London, the Thames Estuary and south-east England, and with his service spanning the Blitz and the later German V-1 flying bomb campaign, providing a well-documented example of the TA’s vital contribution to Britain's Home defence. 

RICHARD is listed in the WW1 Registration Cards for Bexley in Kent, with his age recorded as 18 and his address 15 Crabtree Manorway in Belvedere near Erith. 

He was too young to join the army during WW1, but on the 3^rd of December 1920, he enlisted into the 52^nd Medium Brigade Royal Artillery (T.A.) at Erith in Kent, and this was the start of his long career in the Royal Artillery.

RICHARD was awarded the Efficiency Medal (Territorial) in 1933, and he was awarded the 1937 Coronation Medal. Approximately 90,000 Coronation medals were issued to government officials, members of the military and public servants.

From the ‘Tracer Card’ relating to his service, we know RICHARD MUNDAY had a very long career with the Royal Artillery, a quarter of a century in fact, serving his home county of Kent from 1920 to the start of WW2, and then throughout the war, serving on home soil with numerous artillery units operating in the southeast area, forming part of the anti-aircraft defences protecting London, the Thames Estuary and vital infrastructure from German aerial attack, and as a member of the 67^th Anti-Aircraft Brigade in 1944, placing him within the anti-aircraft defences intercepting the V-1 flying bomb or Doodlebugs as they were known.

The dates and units to which he was attached are as follows:

3^rd December 1920 – Enlisted into the 52^nd (Kent) Medium Brigade Royal Garrison Artillery – This unit came about in 1921 through the amalgamation of existing Kent units and was part of the newly formed Territorial Army. It was made up ‘Medium’ batteries, including the 206^th and 207^th (Erith) batteries....It became Royal Artillery in 1924 and was converted into an anti-aircraft role in 1935.   

1^st February 1935 – The 58^th (Kent) Anti-Aircraft Brigade Royal Artillery were formed following the conversion of the 52^nd (Kent) Medium Brigade Royal Artillery into an anti-aircraft role, and it included the 206^th and 207^th (Erith) batteries.  

30^th October 1941 – 5^th Anti-Aircraft Brigade – In 1941, during the Blitz, this unit defended the British Home Front, intercepting German fighter planes travelling over the south and east coast.

16^th November 1941 – Headquarters 48^th Anti-Aircraft Brigade – This unit provided heavy air defence to the London area with guns at Lewisham, Woolwich and the southern approaches to the city.

Date unknown - HQ 73^rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade – From the 26^th of January 1942 and the 12^th of January 1943, this unit was involved in training and deploying mobile field artillery units that could set up and operate quickly, and these units were active around the south of England, especially in the area of Kent and the East Coast.

12^th January 1943 – 141^st (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment – Formed in 1941, this unit was particularly involved in defending the south and east coasts of England, protecting cities, ports and industrial infrastructure from ‘hit and run’ raids by German aircraft, especially nighttime raids.

21^st June 1943 – 155^th (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment – Raised in Scotland in 1942 and originally tasked with defending shipping infrastructure in the area of the River Clyde, the unit was moved south in February 1943 and joined up with the 48^th AA Brigade mentioned earlier, with responsibility for protecting London from German air attack.

4^th January 1944 – Headquarters 67^th Anti-Aircraft Brigade – Originally a West Midlands based artillery unit, the brigade moved to South Wales but had subordinate units including the 170^th (Mixed) Heavy AA Regt and the 171^st (Mixed) Heavy AA Regt, who were both operating within the London and south-eastern area of the country.

8^th June 1945 – 171^st (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment – This unit was originally raised at Cardiff as a subordinate unit within the 67^th AA Brigade, but it was not based in Wales, the 171^st were located in the southeast, defending the London, the Thames Estuary, and the southeast coast area from German air attack.

RICHARD, the son of HENRY and FLORENCE SARAH MUNDAY, was born on the 26^th of August 1899 and baptised at Erith in Kent. Erith is a borough of London, and RICHARD can be found living with his parents in the area in early census records. He married ROSE ALEXANDRA DOROTHY EAGLESTONE at Belvedere near Erith on the 27^th of December 1926. RICHARD died on the 16^th of August 1960 and was buried at Erith four days later, on the 20^th of August.

SELLER NOTE = Supporting documentation obtained and / or created during my research into this medal will be provided.